Book Review: Bright Freedom’s Song


“The first time Bright had seen a brown face, she had been six years old, so proud of being allowed to gather eggs from the henhouse. She had gone alone into the small, dark log building her father had built to protect the eggs from the fox that sometimes wandered the yard at night.”

~*~

Bright still remembers the fright she got from finding human eyes peering at her from inside the henhouse. Those eyes belonged to her father’s friend Marcus, an escaped slave who helps on the Underground Railroad. As Bright gets involved in her parent’s Underground Railroad station, she begins to learn just how important freedom is.

Visit author Gloria Houston’s website.
Read the first two chapter of the book on Amazon.

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Book Review: William Henry is a Fine Name

Jake pushed a greasy hank of hair off his forehead and hitched up his pants. “I guess whipping your pa for trespassing last week wasn’t enough, William Henry. We’ll see who thinks he’s funny when I tell my pa that darkies and white trash is stealing our fish.”

I felt William Henry’s muscles tense beside me, but his mouth never twitched.

~*~

Robert’s best friend is black, his father works on the Underground Railroad, and his mother still clings to the mindset of the plantation she grew up on. When his mother takes Robert to her childhood home, he meets his grandfather and finds himself trying to rationalize slavery. When he sees two runaway slaves brutally punished he realizes that the “peculiar institution” of the south cannot be rationalized. Will he make the right choice when people’s lives depend on him?

Visit author Cathy Gohlke’s website.
Read the first chapter on amazon.

Joy and Praise


He puts in my heart joy and praise,
Out of this joy, my voice I’ll raise,
He’s the victor, and He’s my friend,
Oh with joy my soul ascends.

Into His hands my heart I give,
That in His love I’ll always live,
Through paths of life I’ll let Him lead,
In simple faith, on Him believe.

(Copyright 2012 by Leah E. Good)

Book Review: Chosen Ones (The Aedyn Chronicles)

“From deep within the shadows of the trees, a hooded figure watched her. Two children were needed to fulfill the prophecy–when would the other appear?”

In a story that is like the Chronicles of Narnia in both plot and writing style, two children arrive at their grandparents home for what promises to be a boring vacation. When Julia discovers that her grandparent’s garden glows when there is no moon, she is intrigued. Scientific Peter does not believe her until he sees it for himself. When they both hear a voice calling them, they step into the silver pool and are whisked into another world.

In the new world, they have new power, but power can corrupt. Three evil lords have enslaved the people and forbidden the remembrance of the Lord of Hosts. An old man tells Julia that she is called to deliver the people. Will she and Peter resist the temptations thrown at them and fulfill the prophecy?

Though I wasn’t thrilled with the writing style, if you like the Chronicles of Narnia, you’ll probably enjoy this story too. The allegorical theme is harder to follow in Chosen Ones, but many aspects of it seem to be drawn directly from The Magicians Nephew and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Happy reading!

Chosen Ones: book 1 in the Aedyn Chronicles

Desert Roses

All glory to our Lord most awesome,
The solitary place shall blossom.
Even the stones break forth in song,
All pow’r and praise to Thee belong.

Death could not keep Him, Christ arose,
The desert blossoms as the rose.
The lame man leaps, the dumb shall sing,
For they have seen their glorious King.

Go strengthen ye the weakened hands,
Proclaim His name through all the land.
Streams in the desert there shall be,
Proving His grace to you and me.

(Based on Isaiah 35:1-6)

Copyright 2012 by Leah E. Good

Slang of the 1800s

Everyday Life in the 1800sIn every time period there are slang words. If you’re a writer and your story takes place 150 years ago (like one of mine does) it is important to know what words people were saying back then. In addition to being important for writers, the slang of yesteryear can be the “beatingest” fun. Here is a sampling of words used in the 1800s.

Acknowledge the corn: to admit the truth

Allow: to admit; to be of the opinion

Balderdash: nonsense; empty babble

Beatingest: anything (or anyone) that beats the competition

Chirk: cheerful

Picayune: used to signify something small or frivolous

Whip one’s weight in wild cats: to defeat or beat an opponent

Source: The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s

An Answer Soft

An answer soft turns wrath away,
Turns battle’s dark to hope of day.
Brings rest so sweet and harmony,
Shows heart’s surrender unto Thee.

An answer soft turns wrath away,
Makes blooms of joy replace the gray.
To answer loud is pride, I know,
While speaking soft God’s love will show.

An answer soft turns wrath away,
Please teach me this, oh Lord, I pray,
That I might in Thy will be found,
Peaceful and resting, safe and sound.

(Based on Proverbs 15:1a)

copyright 2011 by Leah E. Good

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my brand-new blog! I hope you’ll soon find yourself visiting regularly. I will be posting articles with tips about writing, interesting facts about history, and some of the amazing truths found in the Bible. There are already several posts that you can find below.

Please check back for updates. There should be more soon.